By Eunice Hilda A. Mensah
Accra, Nov.07, GNA – The Reverend Father Nicholas Nibetol Aazine, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Coordinator, Divine Word Missionaries, Ghana-Liberia Province, Catholic Church, says engaging in blame games will not fix Ghana’s economy.
He said shifting blame was an easy and convenient approach and must be avoided in finding solutions to the country’s economic problems.
“… The real reason for this is that there has not been judicious use of the money in the public purse. This, in my opinion should be our main focus; how to come up with measures or systems that can uphold the judicious use of what is in the public purse.
“When you put in place support systems that favour you, which make you live lavishly, certainly, when there is a storm, you would be taken up by surprise,” he said.
Fr. Aazine said this in an interview with the GNA.
“Most African leaders pretend not to see the hardship written on the faces of their people. Most of them have failed to jealously protect the public purse as distinctively promised during their inaugural speeches.
“Public offices are meant for rendering services and not for serving our monetary desires. However, politics has become a very lucrative and quick way to acquire wealth on the African continent, especially through greed and corruption. Some people enter into public office to make the wealth society cherishes and to make life more comfortable for them at all cost,” he said.
The Priest said such conduct was partly because contemporary African society valued wealth and the wealthy above virtuous and principled living.
“The wealthy tend to be respected often without scrutinising the source of their wealth. This has driven many people to look for whatever means would make them acquire wealth. This has thus made a lot of people, families, friends and even religious groups to value or desire money more than anything, even a blood relation,” he added.
Fr. Aazine admonished the government to prioritise in its planning, natural disasters, pandemics and economic storms.
He also advised the populace to check unnecessary celebrations, glamorous weddings, expensive funerals, and walk where possible to spend less on fuel.
It was the best time to make clearer distinction between “need and want”, he said and advised the public to go in for what was needed and inculcate same habit in the younger generation.
Fr. Aazine also appealed to the public to be more generous towards others, especially those who could hardly afford a day’s square meal.
“Be security conscious, particularly with the people around you. Every hardship or stormy period ignites some form of energy for survival at all cost. Beware of tricksters and fraudsters of any kind (including some friends and even family members). As much as this might be difficult for many to bear, we should still price higher the peace we enjoy.
“Also dissuade friends with bad and dangerous motives, otherwise, the little blood that still connect as family will be drained out for the want of money, which has now become thicker than blood,” he added.
GNA